


Narukami, APLC

by livefree_13



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Flirting, Innuendo, M/M, Mutual Pining, Office Romance, Soulmates AU, Young Adult Souyo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 00:03:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18981082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livefree_13/pseuds/livefree_13
Summary: Wherein Yu Narukami is a new lawyer, a transplant to a small, country town, and in need of a secretary ASAP. Luckily for him, fraternization laws don’t apply when they're your soulmate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part of this AU that I posted for Souyoweek last year. I'm putting it as Chapter 1 to keep the parts of this weird little story together. I tidied it up so it's a little easier on the eyes. I think. 
> 
> This was originally written for Day 2 of Souyoweek2018 “ ~~Crossover AU~~ or Soulmate AU”

Okay, so his new office was a complete wreck at the moment. He could admit this. What wasn’t in boxes and redwells was in piles of loose papers stacked in every corner and available desk space he had. Yu Narukami, the new Yasoinaba lawyer, sweated nervously beneath his tie. He wasn’t ordinarily this bad at organization, but his client base had exploded upon moving to the small town. He’d chosen the location in part because he knew there was a market here for a jack-of-all trades attorney - someone who could handle all the wills and successions, the divorces, the small civil suits. Someone who could get to know the people and become a reliable ally when they needed one.  

It was true, law school had done little to squelch his altruism. He’d been practicing for 6 months and was still having the time of his life. Leaving the crappy “big law” firm in Tokyo and starting his own practice had felt like nothing else. Now, he could follow his own rules, use his own methods, discover and win his own clients. His parents were far behind; Tokyo was far behind. And he wouldn’t change this, not for anything . . . even though today it found him almost  _literally_ drowning in paper.

 _I definitely need a secretary_ , he thought beneath a fresh swell of panic.  

He knew he should have selected one right away upon coming to town, but before he could even start the scouting process, his door had chimed - and it had almost never stopped chiming since. What he’d learned so far was that becoming the most reliable lawyer in Inaba when you were the  _only_ lawyer wasn’t exactly the hardest task to achieve.

But this office was a malpractice suit waiting to happen, so no matter how little time he had to spare to the task, he desperately needed to find  _somebody_. 

That somebody, as it happened, came in the form of a slightly quirky, tall, brown-haired man roughly Yu’s age. He had only stopped by to drop off some paperwork from his father, who owned the local Junes branch and for whom Yu had been handling some simple corporate formation matters the company’s in-house counsel had outsourced to him.  

His name was Hanamura, and he had one of the nicest smiles Yu had personally ever seen.  

Yu could admit to himself that when he’d first walked through his door, he was a little taken aback by his exuberant energy. He was fashionable and attractive, and didn’t quite seem like the rest of the town at all. He assumed that was because Hanamura was likely not from there, but regardless, he seemed . . . strangely happy. So  _pleased_ , even, to have met this new lawyer and subsequent “talk-of-the-town” ( _his_ words, not Yu’s), that the recently admitted and super professional lawyer had to stop himself from reverting into a blushing, stuttering mess right in front of him.  

One glance at the open, rather innocent look on the guy’s face madeit clear he had no idea how cute he was, either. Yu cleared his throat and accepted the folder the young man held out to him, thanking him more times than he definitely should have ( _definitely_ more times than he should have).

Too soon, Hanamura was almost gone. He’d winked a friendly wink and was getting ready to walk right through Yu’s door and back to whatever life he lived on the other side of it. And evidently unable to accept that, Yu’s throat jettisoned his voice from his mouth so fast he didn’t quite have time to adjust the pitch or even the words that came out of it.

“Are you looking for work?”  _Not good,_  his mind decided remotely.  _There’s no use hiring someone you’re attracted to . . **.**_

Hanamura stopped and glanced at him curiously, shutting the door he’d just opened but not letting go. His eyes moved off to the side as he thought about Yu’s question. “Well, I already work for my dad at Junes - oh, but I’m still only part-time.” He shrugged and gave him a knowing look. “College and all. Why? You need someone?”  

“Oh . . .” _Of course._ “Well, yes. I-if you know anyone who could lend a few hours a day helping me get this office in order.”

“ _Just_ a few hours?” Hanamura quipped while looking in wonderment around the fire-hazard Yu affectionately referred to as his private practice.  

Yu laughed quietly and looked down to collect himself, setting his hands on his hips so they moved back the flaps of his open blazer. “It’s . . . not as bad as it looks. At least, I’m  _pretty_ sure.”  

Hanamura’s eyes found their way back to his after surveying his office one last time, and he smiled kindly, only a slight tease to his next words. “I mean, if it’s just a few hours you need, I could pitch in. I’m off on Sundays.”

Warring with his own excitement, Yu pleaded with himself not to blush before dismissing the boy’s notion. “N-no, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t want to take up your only day off.” He waved him away and prepared himself for Hanamura to shrug again and finally walk out.

But the boy took another step closer, finally letting go of the doorknob. “I don’t mind,” he insisted, his voice rising pleasantly. "I’ve got plenty of time at night over the week, too, if that works.”  

He hesitated to respond immediately. "Well . . . your schedule sounds pretty full, but," he tilted his head. "If you’re _sure_.”

That’s when the young man’s eyes lit up.  His expression hadn’t changed, but Yu could sense something happening there, beneath those caramel-colored lenses, that he desperately hoped he’d be able to explore a little more in due time.  

“Great!  I’ll . . . swing by tomorrow after dinner?  Sorry, that’s the earliest I can get here for.”  

Yu swallowed and prepared some form of verbal agreement in his head, suddenly at a loss for words.  

". . . That . . . okay?” Hanamura implored when Yu didn’t answer, eyebrows rising beneath messy bangs.

He awkwardly forced himself to nod. “Y-yeah!” He held out his hand (still awkward, but it was the best he could do). “I’ll see you tomorrow evening, then. It’s not too late for me; I’m always here.” Even his laugh was awkward, as if the rest of how he’d acted hadn’t been bad enough  …

Hanamura was gracious enough to accept the handshake, quirking a funny little look at him as they parted. Yu peered at him slightly, curious if the blush he spotted across the man's cheeks had been real or his own wishful thinking.

“I’m . . . I’m happy to help.” He pushed a stray bang out of his face and pretended to be interested in everything else in the room - his shoes, the windows, the ceiling. Yep, definitely real.

“Great . . .” the lawyer eventually choked out, although it was weak and lacked any modicum of enthusiasm.  He was so busy noticing the way his  _new employee’s_  collarbones stuck out through his white v-neck, how that small strip of skin glowed with the summer sun, that the word actually carried a bit of unintended reverence.

He stood and stared for what had to be an eternity before Hanamura started talking again. __

“I-I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Hanamura confirmed, slowly nodding his head in an attempt to get Yu’s attention.

Thankfully, being talked to like a child had been more than enough to bring him around.  As though the universe had snapped its fingers, Yu felt himself come back online all at once, his blood mercifully cooling. “Sounds good. I appreciate you accepting my offer.”

Apparently, it was now time for Hanamura to hiccup on  _his_ words and cease to function. “Oh, yeah no problem. Heh. Uh, thanks for the, uh,” he began backing up towards the door absentmindedly. “The offer, and . . . uh, yeah . . .” he laughed in embarrassment and patted down the hair on the back of his head.

 _Hanamura,_ Yu he thought warmly.  _Boy, did I pick the right town._

“Have a good evening,” Yu spoke smoothly, at last.

“You, too!” Hanamura practically yelled, grabbing the doorknob and yanking at it so fast Yu was momentarily afraid the old thing would come off in his grip. While it was still gorgeous, he flashed Yu a nervous smile as he backed out of the office and onto the sidewalk, pulling the door shut twice when the first attempt hit his shoe. Then he waved - through the glass - and Yu waved back with a small smile.  

Eventually, he was entirely gone, taking all of that restless, frenetic energy with him. Now that Hanamura was no longer in the office, Yu’s own energy felt so boring and somber by comparison. Back to his research, he supposed, somewhat in resignation.

But while he did return to his desk, and dutifully continued his research, he couldn’t help but have his imagination be swept away with thoughts of what awaited him tomorrow night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading whatever this is.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Day 1 of Souyoweek2019 "Soulmates or ~~Music: Pick a Song from the P4 Soundtrack~~ ". (I snagged my Day 2 for Souyoweek last year off tumblr, tweaked it, and made it chapter 1 just in case this story doesn't give enough context.) 
> 
> Yu starts to get to know his new secretary, Yosuke, a little more . . . probably more than he should.
> 
> (I know it's not another "Soulmates AU" but "Soulmates" was close enough so, finger guns.)

Yu Narukami, Yasoinaba’s popular new lawyer, had finally landed himself a secretary.

That wasn’t big news to anyone else around town, but it was the best thing to happen to Yu himself since he’d obtained the keys to the small suite he’d converted into his private practice just over a month ago.

His legal assistant’s name was Yosuke Hanamura, a local young man about Yu’s age who attended college and worked part-time for a local retail chain. He seemed . . . entirely different from the type of person Yu might have considered hiring for such a position, in retrospect, but was no doubt bright, interested, and even better - he had no qualms with working late hours when Yu was most available.

The partnership had been a thing of beauty almost from the beginning, as the daytime engagements both men seemed tethered to often meant they didn’t have time for office meetings or organization until much later in the evening when the rest of the town shut down. Hanamura (or, "Yosuke", as he'd insisted to be called now) dutifully showed up at the perfect time nearly every day - just as the sun was beginning to set over the lush hillsides of Inaba’s rural landscape - always with a tired but eager smile, and always with two fresh coffees.

Surprisingly, training him had been a cinch. He showed interest and percipience, and seemed to be something of a mind reader when it came to asking questions. Yu was impressed. He had never been great at being trained himself, since he often needed to ruminate and figure things out on his own without the feeling of someone hovering over his shoulders. Yosuke, on the other hand, seemed well-equipped to handle spontaneity and Yu’s stubborn tendency to quick-correct, which came in handy immensely when a client project forced them both to switch gears to something alien.

He was so intelligent, so intuitive, that Yu had been stunned when Yosuke confessed one night that he hadn’t managed to pass a college entrance exam until his third try, and that it was, in part, why he was still attending college at 27. As an academic, Yu couldn’t imagine how crushed he’d have been to score any less than perfect on a test. He certainly didn’t know if he’d have been brave enough to try a second time, either, and thought Yosuke to be remarkably determined.

He’d shyly admitted as much in exchange for that secret, and didn’t hide his appreciation for the flattered blush that crossed Yosuke’s face in turn.

Unfortunately, his quick wit, his affable personality, it only made Yosuke more devastatingly attractive to Yu. It was true that Yu was still kicking himself for allowing his libido to shove itself rudely in the way of his hiring process, but he considered himself lucky in this case. _Extremely_ lucky, actually, since Yosuke seemed a perfect match for this position in every way that mattered, current degree status be damned.

He seemed a perfect match in other ways, too, and Yu was trying to ignore _that_ as much as he could. He knew he ought to be focusing exclusively on his growing practice; a green solo practitioner like himself didn’t exactly have a short list of responsibilities to ensure he didn’t malpractice every matter that chimed at his door.

And dating? Dating was _not_ on that list. Not currently, anyway.

Yu took shelter in the quiet moments he and Yosuke spent in the office together after-hours. A picturesque shift for them generally had Yu at his desk, researching or drafting or emailing, and Yosuke on the floor across the room with a spray of Yu’s files all around him (it didn’t matter how often Yu reminded Yosuke he had a desk to use). It was such a petite office that the young men didn’t have any form of privacy. It didn’t bother Yu, though. He enjoyed looking up to see Yosuke surrounded by the spread of his own files, happily categorizing and identifying their homes, singing along in bits to whatever tune drifted from the headphones Yosuke kept around his neck.

As the weeks passed, the length of time they were spending at the office gradually fell off. Great for his practice and the expense to his clients; bad for Yu and his steadily growing crush. Some days, Yosuke didn’t even have to come to the office at all.  

Yu became pretty disappointed in himself when he realized the nights Yosuke wasn’t there were the nights he couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything. He initially wrote it off as a side effect of weekendless days but that excuse hadn’t lasted long; he’d worked about as much in Tokyo. He’d even gone on solo coffee runs in the absence of Yosuke’s usual friendly gesture and ended up wandering home afterwards, slightly too despondent to return to an empty office.

By the end of the second month of his relocation to Inaba, Yu knew he had it pretty bad.

It may not have seemed like much to anyone - this ridiculous crush he couldn’t shake. “Just ask him out,” he’d told himself. With the soft glances when the other wasn’t looking to the near constant flirting that had ballooned beyond Yu’s expectations, he had very little in his way from doing so. He _could_ ask him out, and he was pretty sure Yosuke would say “yes”. He was _more_ than pretty sure, the further he thought about it. And the further he thought about it, the simpler it felt.

They’d confirm there were no deadlines that day and he’d let Yosuke exercise all his charm giving Yu an official tour of the town he’d grown up in. They’d eat country food and Yosuke would introduce him to the cook, and then Yu could offer to cook for _him_ one day, and Yosuke would show him that excited spark in his eyes that he got when he heard something he liked. And, at the end, maybe at two in the morning, Yosuke would know somewhere quiet, somewhere for just the two of them, someplace outside of their office that had a nice breeze and the sound of crickets.

Yu wondered if Yosuke’s skin would look like the moonlight - gentle and fair - as he leaned in to press their lips together. He wondered if Yosuke would be smiling. He wondered who would drag who to the nearest bedroom, the order their clothes would tumble off them, if Yosuke would fumble with the lamp string or sweep him away in the dark . . .

The possibilities were so alluring they almost made Yu forget that his romantic life had so far been a complete disaster, with one disinterested and fickle lover after the next shifting in and out of his life when it seemed convenient. That’s what he got for routinely dating fellow law students and lawyers, he assumed, but it didn’t make his record look any better.

In his defense, sleeping with people in that circle had always been more of a competition than any real attempt to connect to another human being - and it wasn’t something he missed.

He couldn’t fathom treating Yosuke like that. He was intimidated by the thought of Yosuke finding out how many partners Yu had taken, though, and how shallow that would make him seem. He didn’t want Yosuke to look at him differently, see his brow crinkle and his eyes roll as his respect for Yu washed away with the rain. Yosuke was too . . . _important_ , now. Yu was still a little scared to admit that, but it was true.

Yosuke practically ran his office, and he was fast learning how to take his heart, bit by bit. With every gracious smile and playful wink, Yosuke was nearing the finish line. Yu honestly had to stop to consider whether he was even in control of what was happening between them any longer. Or . . . if he had ever been. Maybe Yosuke had been targeting the new transplant this entire time. Maybe he was herding his prey into a kill box like the sly dog he pretended to be some days. It was certainly possible; Yosuke had all the makings of a killer, despite his somewhat quirky habits.

He supposed he’d find out, one way or the other. For better or worse.

Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d find out tonight.

On cue, the door chimed at Yosuke’s arrival. Just before seven in the evening, after his mid-shift at Junes. The sun was setting.

Yosuke greeted him with his familiar smile and wink. Yu nodded in greeting and stood to come around his desk. With a grateful smile, he quickly took his coffee so that Yosuke could unload his bag and light jacket.

“Ugh, my shift was hell today.”

Yu sipped his drink. Perfect as always, just a splash of cream. “You didn’t have to come in tonight, in that case. I don’t have any deadlines.”

“Yeah, but I got a ton of filing to do. Just look at that stack!” He gestured over to the stack of paper nestled in the thin tray on his desk that, if Yu were being honest, was laughably short.

“You call that ‘a ton’?” Yu snorted. “Do you remember what my office looked like when I first hired you?” 

Yosuke hummed, staring into the middle distance for a second. “Mmmm, okay good point.”

He grinned and Yu rolled his eyes, turning back around towards his desk to reclaim his seat. “Well, if you need rest, it can wait,” he assured him. His computer screen had gone black from all his daydreaming earlier, and he hurriedly shifted the mouse so that Yosuke didn’t catch it.

“I’ll be fine. What are you working on?” Yosuke asked, making his way across the room to his little desk and _very_ little tray.

“Um, research.” Yu stopped his nail biting and took another sip of his coffee.

Yosuke gave him an odd smile - well, odd for the situation, but not for Yosuke. He’d been giving him plenty of odd smiles lately, of course. “Researching what?” he asked in a teasing tone, pretending to be engaged in the notes he was holding.

Yu pulled his hand away from his mouth again. “How to make sure cheeky assistants mind their own business.”

“Heh, good luck with that.”

Yu smirked wickedly, flicking his eyes from his screen to glance at Yosuke who had just moved onto the next little stack of papers. Yu mentally chided himself when he noticed Yosuke wearing the red pants Yu liked. Yu had never dreamed of getting away with fashionable looks like that, but Yosuke always made it seem like it was nothing. They fit him so well, too . . .

“Enjoying the view?” Yosuke asked, his voice carefully neutral, as he reviewed his documents.

Yu blanched and shot his eyes to Yosuke’s face. He could feel his face heating up tremendously; even his ears burned. He sat, stunned to silence. Yosuke had never _called him out_ for looking before. In fact, he was more prone to pretend he didn’t notice, and then later Yu would feel eyes on him . . . But the confrontation was terrifying.

Yosuke eventually glanced over and gave him a disarming wink. “Relax,” he said softly. And he meant it. He didn’t pull his eyes away.

Oh. So, Yu _was_ the prey after all, wasn’t he? Yep.

Yosuke had told him to relax yet Yu still couldn’t move, could barely blink. The charms he’d adapted for use in the city were utterly failing him. Probably because Yosuke was “important”, he remembered. And it would stand to reason that flirting with an “important” person would be _very_ different from flirting with one night stands. That was fair. Distinction, noted.  

Yu still looked like a deer caught in headlights, so Yosuke gave a quiet sigh and set the stack of documents down. He looked down at his fidgeting hands. Meanwhile, Yu thought he might burst waiting for what was going to come out of Yosuke’s mouth next. His control over his racing pulse was about as far away as Tokyo, at this point.

“Look, I know I may not be-” Yosuke started, cutting himself off. He rubbed his neck. Suddenly, he appeared unable to meet his employer’s eyes. “I don’t know what you’re used to in the city, but I don’t fool around. _Weird_ , I know, because-” he gestured between them, “but, _really?_ This is kinda new to me.” Here, Yosuke met his eyes again, and he seemed completely humorless, for once. “I . . . really like you. _Really_. Like, I’m not interested in a one-off.” He paused (Yu was suddenly aware how heavy his own breath was). “And . . . I don’t think you are, either, if I’m reading you right?”

Yu let out a breath, felt himself ever so slightly shake his head.

Yosuke quirked a tiny, disbelieving smile. “Good,” he said, smiling wider as it, apparently, sunk in.

Yu stood, cautious and slow, smoothing down his tie and taking measured breaths to still his heart. He swallowed. “I really like you, too, Yosuke. _Really_ ,” he emphasized, with a smirk.

Yosuke laughed, a little shrill but clearly relieved. Then, he cleared his throat. “Awesome,” he said, nodding.

Yu might have never seen anyone so gorgeous; he wasn’t interested in the challenge of finding out for sure. Yosuke was _drop-dead_ so, the way his cheeks burned and his hair fell and how his neck looked in that v-neck. And now he could look at it all night if he wanted. Finally.

He really was home now.

“Well, uh,” Yosuke rubbed the back of his neck again. “No deadlines tonight, right? Wanna . . . shut it down for tonight? I know a place that has great steak skewers.”

Yu smiled and removed his tie. “Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm adding a chapter 3 in case i decide to make them Do It down the road :3


End file.
